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Student nutrition issues top of mind at NACUFS

Student nutrition issues top of mind at NACUFS

SEATTLE —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

Particularly perplexing is how best to disclose nutritional information given the growing incidents of eating disorders at colleges and universities, said Laura Pataro Honeycutt, departmental dietician for the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. Such disorders make it problematic to provide nutrition labeling—especially calorie counts for food items—in university dining halls, she said. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

“Bulimia has become a lot more prevalent, and definitely there is an increased awareness of it,” she said during a nutrition forum at this year’s National Association of College and University Food Services, or NACUFS, conference here last month. “A lot of studies show that it’s very hard for someone recovering from an eating disorder to [have access to] full labeling information, including calorie counts.” —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

She noted that the University of Maine is planning to offer its nutritional information over the Internet rather than in the dining halls, in order to satisfy the numerous requests for the information while trying to assist students who suffer from anorexia and/or bulimia. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

Foodservice directors said they also are plagued by how best to encourage students, particularly those predisposed to diabetes, to eat items containing little or no sugar. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

“You talk about the threat of diabetes, well, they don’t even know what foods have carbohydrates and which foods don’t,” said Camille Korenek, unit director of housing and dining services at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. “You see these kids with three 10-ounce glasses of orange juice on their trays and then they have their cappuccinos. Think about all the hidden calories there. They just don’t know, and they don’t pay attention.” —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

Honeycutt’s school is trying to create a line of low-sugar desserts in order to address the problem. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

A major stumbling block, Honeycutt said, is getting students to accept the more healthful foods being offered in their dining halls. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

“We tell them they need to eat more healthful foods, but how do we get them to eat it?” she asked. “We need to figure out how to market it, make it fun and still be healthy, get them to buy into it. It’s real [problematic], and we don’t have a solution yet.” —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

Foodservice directors at the NACUFS conference also noted that they are witnessing more cases of food allergies among students, particularly gluten intolerance and reactions to nuts. They said they are struggling with ways to address the problem while keeping students safe and teaching them how to eat safely within dining halls. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

“We’re doing constant training,” said Ruth Sullivan, nutritionist for Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. “In fact, we just did a manager program, and next we’re training employees. Our chefs are trained to constantly look at labels, but it’s so hard to make sure everything is 100-percent allergen free.” —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

One way to deal with special-needs diets, said Tom Murray, executive chef for Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich., is to tell students to keep detailed records of what foods they can and cannot eat. Murray noted that once given the information, he could provide special menus that adhere to those students’ diets. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

“I tell them to write down everything they eat and I’ll make it for them,” he said. “I then provide them with their own special rack, where the food is specially prepared and stored for them.” —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

At the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, dining unit manager and administrative dietitian Lisa Krausman said creating a cookbook of gluten-free foods has helped meet some of the dietary needs of students who dine on campus. Krausman said she sees at least four or five new cases of celiac disease every year. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

“By the time they get to college they should know what they can eat and what they can’t,” she said. “But we’ve ended up making the gluten-free cookbook, and we’ve included some of the recipes they’re familiar with from home, if they give them to us.” —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

Syracuse’s Sullivan added that providing students with a support group has been helpful because it allows them to “share ideas with each other and talk about what’s working and what’s not.” —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

Students also are more vocal in demanding more sustainable and organic items on campuses, said foodservice directors, who noted that seasonality and increased costs can make providing such foods difficult. Furthermore, students might not understand exactly what they are asking for, operators said. —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

“People assume organic means sustainability, but it doesn’t,” Sullivan said. “I say, ‘Let’s go local with someone using very little pesticide,’ but they say, ‘I pay my fees so I want it.’ Some of it is personal and some is political. I’ve offended some people by saying that, but if you’re dealing with [the issue], you need to tread lightly.” —Eating disorders, a growing number of food allergies and more reported cases of type 2 diabetes are just some of the challenges foodservice directors say they face as they try to promote more healthful foods on college and university campuses.

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